one potion and therefore it will be good for you to take that in time also Now what is this medicine that will purge the Conscience it is the blood of Christ onely Heb. 9.14 It shall purge your Conscience from dead works and Heb. 10.22 Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Here is first the disease and that is dead works with the subject of it or the part of the evil affected that is the Conscience Secondly There is the medicine it 's the bloud of Christ who offered himself by the eternal spirit without spot to God Thirdly The manner how this blood doth it it is by sprinkling and therein the power of this medicine is put forth First The disease dead works in the Conscience are of two sorts Guilt and Lust c. But to awaken every mans Conscience to get it purged take these considerations First By nature every mans Conscience is defiled Tit. 1.15 Heb. 9.14 the blood of Christ comes upon no mans Conscience but it finds it polluted with dead works for whether we consider either the guilt or the defilement of sin it 's the Conscience that is the main receptacle of it the guilt is laid up there Jer. 17.1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of Iron and with the point of a Diamond it is spoken de summo indelibili reatu it was written upon their Consciences and upon the horns of their Altars nec deleri potest nec latere for it did appear upon every Altar and every new act of sin adds unto the defilement of Conscience that 's the Tophet the Golgotha of the soul men of corrupt Consciences are graves though they appear not so Now when a man shall consider how our iniquities are gone over our heads and are more in number then the hairs of our head and even answerable to the sand upon the Sea shore innumerable What filthy polluted Consciences must such men needs have Secondly Consider what a miserable thing it is for a man to have a polluted Conscience First It breaks a mans peace the inward man is never quiet Isa 57.21 There is no peace says my God to the wicked It is as Austin compares it to a bad wife that when a man hath met with hard labour abroad trouble and afflictions from without and retires himself and hopes to find some comfort at home but there he has never a quiet hour this is more troublesome then any of his outward crosses can be for it is an evil Wife that 's a continual droping so is Conscience Fugiet ab agro ad civitatem à publico ad domum à domo ad cubiculum sequitur tribulatio Secondly It imbitters all a mans comforts a good Conscience will sweeten every cross Paul and Silas can sing in the stocks Ubi cunque alibipassus est tribulationes illuc confugiet ibi inveniet Deum c. and the Martyrs rejoyce a the stake for whensoever any man suffers tribulation for keeping a good Conscience thither God hastens and finds him and makes him rejoyce in the testimony of his Conscience so an evil Conscience will imbitter every comfort Paul can stand with boldness at the Barr when Felix doth tremble on the Bench there is no state can secure a man that has an evil Conscience his comforts will not secure him they will all be imbittered take the choycest pleasures of sin that any man of you doth injoy it is this adds Water to your Wine and adds a tincture of Gall and Wormwood to all your sweetness and delicacies There is an evil spirit that comes upon Saul from the Lord and what is that Turbatur iâ—i anima Conscientia immoderata tristitia a diabolo excitata and when God did suffer Satan to come in and disquiet his Conscience all the comforts of a kingdome could not sweeten such a mans spirit neither can he have any sweetness in them all Thirdly It takes away a mans courage a good Conscience makes a man to be as bold as a Lyon and he can set his face as a Rock let the storm come and yet the Rock shakes not and he is not afraid of evil tideings but the wicked flyes when none pursues them and indeed they need no other pursuer for there is within them Lethalis arundo as a Deer that is shot may run but still carries his misery with him and as Cain surely every one that meets me will slay me Gen. 11.4 Herod when he heard of the fame of Jesus he says surely it is John the Baptist he is risen from the dead and therefore mighty works shew forth themselves in him Fourthly It unfits a man for every duty for the guilt of it arising in the Conscience stops a mans mouth and shuts up his heart before the Lord brings him into the presence of God as a Malefactor into the presence of the Judg with a vail upon his face and pollutes all his services his prayer is turned into sin for all things are defiled unto them whose Consciences are defiled Tit. 1.15 Fifthly A man cannot promise himself any acceptance or success in any thing he does Mal. 3.4 He shall purge them as silver and then shall their sacrifices be pleasant unto the Lord c. and Psal 51.13 Open thou my lips then shall I teach transgressours thy way c. God may indeed work great things by men of polluted Consciences but they cannot promise themselves success in any thing that they undertake till their Consciences be purged Sixthly Thou art in a continual fear and expectation when God will awaken it as he surely will do for sin lyes at the dore but between a godly man and sin there is a wall that will never open but between a wicked man and sin there is a dore that though it may be shut long it will open at last and an evil Conscience it is that watcheth at the dore till the man dare look out miserrimum est talem habere janitorum Luther A Spirit of slumber upon a man and a seared Conscience is a great judgment but it will not last allways it is at farthest but for the time of this Life and then the callumne upon Conscience shall be worne off and the slumber cast away and it shall be awakened so as never to sleep again Read the story of Cain and Belteshazar of Judas and of Spira c. Nay Lay your ears to Hell a while and hear the clamours of polluted Consciences there and you shall see that the greatest plague that can befall a man in this life is to be left unto the power of an evil Conscience so that you had need to seek to have your Consciences purged and this is specially to be considered of you that are grown old in wickedness and whose bones are still full of the sins of your youth having been laying in defilement into your Consciences long surely all this filth the sink and sodoms of vanity
rowl away the stone from the grave but it was done in a legal and judiciary way and therefore he is said to be justified He is near that justifies me 1 Tim. 3.16 Isa 50.8 And by this he doth convince the World of righteousness because the Lord delivered him from death Because he doth go to the Father Sixthly For a Soul by an Almighty power of God to rest upon this satisfaction of his and to plead it before God for himself at his judgment seat First To look upon Christ as dying not for himself but as a surety for in justification and the purging of Conscience from the guilt of sin the eye of Faith is mainly set upon Christ crucified Christ as dying and that as a surety to make satisfaction 1 Cor. 2.2 Heb 9.22 I desire to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucyfied for without sheding of blood there is no remission For though it is true that the personal excellencies that be in Christ are the objects of Faith yet that Faith as it comes to Christ in the act of justyfication and being quit of the guilt of sin it mainly looks upon Christ dying Christ satisfying Secondly To look upon Christ as a representative head as one in whom I died as a surety so as one in whome I rose he was justyfied and I in him because as he dyed for me so for me he was justified also and Christ was formerly condemned therefore there must an act of aquiting pass upon Christ and therefore Heb. 9.28 That it was so apeared plainly for he did bear the sins of many in respect of the guilt of them and he shall apear the second time without sin that is have the guilt of no sin charged upon him in oposition unto his former bearing our iniquities he shall be aquitted before men and angels and therefore he rose as the first fruits as a person representing all the rest of the elect and he was justified in the spirit that is raised up by the power of the divine nature thereby he was manifested to be justified and as he is sanctified as a common person and receives an Image for us that we must bear the Image of the heavenly there is life eternal laid up in him so he is justified as a common person from the guilt of sin that not any iniquity remains unsatisfied for in his behalf that is the ransom in his death is fully paid and as we were condemned in Adam a common person so it is reason we should be justified by Christ as in a common person also now when a soul by an almighty work of the spirit of God looks upon all these acts of Christ and the soul rests upon them in respect of the guilt of sin he doth put his sins upon the head of his surety and looks upon himself as acquitted in his justification and casts himself upon it that he may attain it thus the blood of Christ is said by a mighty work of the spirit on Christs part and faith on ours to be sprinkled upon our Consciences to purge them from the guilt of dead works Quest But how shall I know whether there be such an almighty power put forth in me that I may stay my soul upon Christs blood thus satisfying that I might be able thereby to see my Conscience purged and pacified and the terrour of sin taken away Answ A man shall know this almighty work of the spirit sprinkling this blood of Christ upon the Conscience by enabling a man unto that which all the power and improvement of a natural Conscience cannot perform and it will be seen in three things First When a mans Conscience awakened and convinced of sin doth yet make after reconciliation with God and union with Christ for a natural Conscience can find it easie to believe while he goes on still in his sins and Conscience is a sleep and indeed the faith of most men is but a good conceit of themselves from the self flatery of their own hearts but as soon as Conscience is awakened by and by they fly from God and look upon him as an enemy Luke 3.5 there are Mountains to be made a plain and there are Valleys to be fill'd now when a soul considers himself under the condemnation of sin the curse of the Law and looks upon God as an angry judge and yet saith I have heard that the Lord of Israel is a mercifull God and if mercy save me I shall be saved and if mercy destroy me I shall but dye I will fly to him whom I have offended and lye down at his footstool there is nothing in the world that I desire like unto reconciliation with him and I would be reconciled to him in his own way the way of union with Christ I would he found in him not having my own righteousness I would submit to the way of the Gospel Oh blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord imputes this righteousness and he is made the righteousness of God in Christ when a soul thus convinced of sin saith God be mercifull to me a sinner I will now go to him and leave my self with him let him do as it seemeth good to him as David said if the Lord delight in me he will save me c. truly all the power of nature improved can never make men leave themselves with God in this manner Secondly When a mans sins are discovered and the Lord leads a man into the wardrope of Christs righteousness and enables him to see how there is enough therein to cover them all and as God saw enough of Christs righteousness to satisfie him in point of justice so the Lord doth by a glorious light shew unto the soul enough of Christs righteousness to satisfy also in point of guilt that the soul can in some measure in Christ answer all the objections that Conscience can make by some spiritual reasonings drawn from the Lord Jesus Christ as when Conscience objects sin is a transgression of the Law but the soul answers the sufferings of Christ are the humiliation of the Law-giver sin is a dishonour to God in point of goods but Christ that made all things with him and had the same title unto all that God the Father had he laid down all and became poor and took a new title unto all he had more then a world to lay down sin did wrong God in point of honour but he that was the brightness of his glory did abase himself and made himself of no reputation and did bring thereby more honour to God he being subject to him then the subjection of all the creatures could have done it was a higher honour to the Soveraignty of God to have his son a servant then could have been to have had the service of all the creatures and he can do him more service and bring him in more glory in an hour then all the creatures could have done if man had stood to eternity sin did offend
are as truly subordinate unto your good as they are unto Gods glory 〈◊〉 and the end of all is to take away the sin and to purge the Conscience that is defiled by sin and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Sixthly The blood of Christ doth purge their Consciences as it is now sprinkled in Heaven before the mercy Seat by the interception of Christ for there were under the Law two things that did perfect the sacrifice the offering of it the killing of it and the carrying the blood into the most holy place and sprinkling it upon the mercy Seat and the sacrifice was not perfect until both were done and the blood was to remain before the mercy Seat so the Lord Jesus has offer'd himself a sacrifice but his blood is sprinkled still upon us and remains and it is a speaking blood it speaks better things then the blood of Abel now it doth speak to us continually for the end of his blood and what is it but that we may be cleansed he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie us to himself Tit. 2.14 c. and the cry of this blood still in Heaven is sanctifie them by thy truth keep them from the evil of the world father keep through thy own name them that thou hast given me c. But how shall I know my Conscience is purged by the blood of Christ c. First The more a mans Conscience is afflicted with the spiritual rising of lust and he loaths himself for it as Paul for the Law of his members warring against the Law of his mind and Job I have seen thee and therefore I abhor my self Secondly The more ready a man is to deny himself for God in any service and his Conscience puts him forth to the uttermost in it as Paul I am willing to spend my self or to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus and Abraham rose up early to obey the command of God even to sacrifice his only son for the more the glory of God and his commands do sway with a man the more cause he has to be assured that the blood of sprinkling has passed upon him c. Thirdly The more a mans Conscience keeps down h is lust in the presence of the object of it as Boaz the woman lay at his feet and yet his lust did not rise and as Job to make a Covenant with his eyes and not look upon a Maid not have eyes full of adultery a godly man may be tempted to sin it may be in the absence of the object but if it be present and lust have all the advantages that can be and yet it cannot prevail it s an argument of a pure Conscience and try all these with reference unto your darling lust for answerable as the Conscience is purged with respect unto that so it is unto all other sins whatsoever It will serve for exhortation unto all men to keep their Consciences pure Vse 2 being once cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and this was the Apostle Pauls labour and his dayly exercise Acts 24.16 in this I exercise my self to to keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Conscience void of offence before God and all men Now we have formerly heard that as there be two things in sin so there is a double defilement of the Conscience there is a guilt and a pollution and a mans Conscience can never be a good Conscience a pure Conscience without a stumbling block unless it be kept pure in both these and here I would speak of a pure Conscience according to the Apostles distinction First before God Secondly before men And first in reference unto the guilt of sin and a Conscience polluted therewith and this is a heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 that is an accusing and a condemning Conscience 1 John 3.21 if our hearts condemn us not that is if they have the guilt of no sin lye upon them for which they draw us before the judgment Seat of Christ and pass upon us the sentence of condemnation and so Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 this is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our Conversation in the world and more especially towards you and 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self it was a small thing to him to be judged of by man or in mans day for men have their day of judgment also as God has his and the reason why he doth despise the judgment of all men is this that he was conscious to himself of nothing wherein he had misbehaved himself in his Apostleship towards them many weaknesses there were which he owned in himself but yet the guilt of none of them did stick upon his Conscience and yet he refers himself unto the judgment of God who knows more then a mans Conscience can know by a mans self c. and this was the great care of Job that his heart might not reproach him all his dayes Job 27.6 In respect of God there is a two-fold good Conscience in regard of guilt one in truth and the other in shew and appearance only First There is a natural Conscience that may have a great shew of goodness in it not having the guilt of sin rising in it but may with a great deal of boldness appear before God and may lift up a mans face before him and yet this not be a Conscience truly good as we see in the Heathen Rom. 2.16 their thoughts do excuse as well as acâ—use and that in the day when God shall judge the secrets of all men c. therefore there is the guilt of some sins that Conscience will acquit a man from and will speak for him in the presence of the Lord and so some do apply that speech of Paul as Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God even unto this day it is conceived by some as Cajetan c. that it is spoken in reference unto all his dayes even those also before his Conversion in which he did never sin against his Conscience and therefore he saith bona Conscientia non bono opere for he thought that he did God good service in all that he did as Luther did say of himself Nec ita eram glacies frigus sicut Eccius alii qui propter ventrem Papam defendere videbantur sed ego rem seriam agebam ut qui diem extremum horribiliter timui salvus fieri ex intimis medullis cupiebam And the goodness of a mans Conscience in not witnessing guilt is but a seeming goodness it is sometimes from a mans uprightness and good intention in a particular act wherein though he doth ill yet he doth mean well and think also that he doth well as it is the manner of many a misled and deluded soul as Gen. 20.5.6 Abimelech answered God in the integrity of my heart and the
for the loss of them at any time as Judas sought oppertunity to betray Christ Prov. 7. and the Harlot is glad of the opportunity The good man is gene fromhome and has taken a Sum of moneywith him and will not return till thetime appointed come let us take ourfill of Love and Joseph's Mistress when none of the men of the house were within and Judas when the Oyntment was poured out he was sorry for the wast that he lost such an opportunity and Gehazy my Master has let him go with all those fine things but as the Lord lives I will go and get something of him and what did he get but a foul disease c. Eightly When much means are used to keep men from sin and they avail not but men do break through all and will commit sin when men have been often admonished Pro. 29.1 and often afflicted Pro. 29.1 God will hedge up their way with thornes and yet they will follow after their Lovers Hos 2.6 God doth take many courses to make sin difficult unto a man a hedge of thornes and yet the man follows after it still Pro. 13.19 Balaam a man would have thought Gods forbidding him first and then the difficulties that lay in his way should have hindred him and though he would still be trying to displease God yet still God held a hand upon his Conscience nevertheless Balaam ran greedily after the wayes of unrighteousness when men cannot endure to be reproved Asa was a godly man yet his Conscience was in an evil frame he could not bear a reproof nay when men wait and lay snares for him that reproves in the gate c. It is a sign of a seared Conscience c. Ninthly When men grow impudent and shameless in evil for there is a shame that doth keep men from some sins some kind of awe and respects before men Gen. 15.16 but there is a fullness of sin and impudency and obstinacy makes it up when men have a Whores forehead that cannot blush they are not ashamed of sin nay they glory in their shame and speak of it with rejoycing pudet non esse impudentem the unjust know no shame Lastly When men are not affected with and not afraid of spiritual judgments it 's the highest and the greatest wrath that can befall a man vae illis ad quorum peccata connivet Deus Luther Ephraim is joyned to Idols Let him alone why should they be smiten any more they will revolt more and more I will not punish your daughters when they commit adultery saies the Lord non parcit propitius parcit iratus Aust O servum illum beatum Tertul. cui deus dignatur irasci The last sentence of the Church is Anathama Maranatha and so it is here also Now there is nothing the people of God are more affected with then spiritual judgment to be given up to a hard heart to a blind mind and a spirit of slumber they are troubled at nothing more wounds upon a mans estate or his name lyes not so heavy upon his spirit nay he would chuse all outward evils rather this is a strange and terrible work of God in judgment pouring out upon a man a spirit of a deep sleep and for men not to be troubled that they are not troubled it is an argument of a very polluted Conscience 1 Cor. Durum est quod seipsum non exhorret Bern. Secondly Now to give some rules how a man should do to keep a good Conscience in all things First Set a high price upon a good Conscience as being the excellency of the man which will bear up a man against all evils that men or devils can do to him 2 Cor. 1.12 says the Apostle this is our rejoycing that in godly simplicity we have had our conversation in the world and 't is this that gives a man boldness in the presence of God if our hearts condem us not we have boldness in his sight a man that has a good Conscience shall lift up his face without spot even before God a good Conscience it is a continual feast it cheers a man in the worst times and his Conscience can never be freed from guilt that is not in desire at least freed from defilement for Christ came by water and by bloud and upon our Consciences he sprinkles bloud and sprinkles upon them clean water also Secondly Come to the Laver repent dayly judg your selves dayly and apply the blood of Christ which can onely purge the Conscience and do it dayly for the longer any sin lyes upon the Conscience the more unclean that Conscience is it is compaired unto a Fountain that doth dayly work out the mud Mâ—t. 12.15 and doth not let it rest there at all but immediately works against it to a renewed Conscience all sin is as a mote in the eye and a beam he can have no quiet till it be out but sin in a natural Conscience it is not burthensome though men add iniquity to iniquity can easily slip into sin without any remorse whereas we are not to give place to the Devil no not one hour Peter after he had sin'd straightway he went out and wept bitterly Oh! when any sin lies upon the Conscience be sure that it will defile thee more therefore make hast and work it out this delay of purging the Conscience is an evil may be found in the best men it cost David broken bones and great perplexity thefore we should be the more careful to come to the Laver of regeneration Thirdly Do not despise the checks of Conscience but mind that Light within you when it reproves for fins either of omission or commission do not turn the deaf ear Davids heart smote him and he took notice of it and Christ himself my reins chasten me to instruct me in the Psal 16.7 night season c. For let me tell you that any motion of a mans Conscience slighted it is thereby defiled for it speaks in the name of God and not any word of God nor any admonition of Conscience should we pass by without regard for Conscience is in the place of God in the man Fourthly Let it be your constant desire and your dayly exercise to live honestly in all things according to that of the Apostle Heb. 13.18 And truly therein the goodness of a mans Conscience is seen and Acts 24.16 In this I exercise my self to have always a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Satan doth cast defilement into the Conscience dayly and therefore there is nothing that a man should be imployed in more then to keep a good Conscience dayly in all things and truly it is the great shame of many that will take upon them the name of Religion yet are defective in this in a great measure that it may be said of them they do not labour in all things to keep a good Conscience Fisthly Take
3.17 be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy gods c. Acts 1.20 We cannot but speak a necessity is laid upon me I must preach c. Jer. 20 9. The Word was in him as fire he could not forbear it is the impulse of Conscience that was the cause there is a double necessity Externa interna c. Now according unto this order and subordination of the faculties so shall the torment be Conscience is subject to none but God therefore the spirit of bondage shall come into the Conscience and trouble that and this shall torment the whole man and as God does usually set up Governours and they become Instruments of wrath over the kingdoms where they dwell if they be good they are a special blessing they are the breath of our Nostrils the stay of our Tribes the Chariots and Horsemen but if they be wicked they ruine the kingdom Psal 75.3 Saul had even destroyed the Nation they are ravening Lyons and evening Wolves Zeph. 3.3 So it is in the government of the inward man if the Conscience be good it s the greatest blessing and if evil the greatest curse for as none has the Power the Authority and the Opportunity to undo a people like those that have the Rule over them so it is with the Conscience there is nothing hath that Authority and Oppertunity to undo a man like it because it is alwayes with him where soever he goes and therefore 〈◊〉 Mala domestica Austine compare an evil Wife and an evil Conscience because they are both intolerablâ— burdensome evils a continual droping none have the Opertunity 〈◊〉 Torment like these Thirdly Conscience here has 〈◊〉 great hand in corrupting the whoâ— man and therefore it is no wondeâ— if hereafter it should have the greâ— hand in Tormenting him First Here Conscience is blinâ— and does not shew a man what is 〈◊〉 Duty and so many men Sin igâ—rantly for want of an inlightneâ— Conscience when the eye of 〈◊〉 man is darkned Math. 6. Hoâ— great is that darkness Secondly Conscience is dead a spirit of slumber is upon it that though it know things to be evil yet it stirs not against them or if it does it is but faintly but a good Conscience exerciseth Authority over the whole man and smites him when ever he does evil as 1 Sam. 24.17 Thirdly it is erroneous and carries men unto evil violently under a pretence of good a zeal not according to knowledg Joh. 16.2 For zeal persecuting the Church Tantus eram Saulus â—hat he thought him worthy of eternal death that descented from the Authority of his Religion in any thing it is from a deceived heart an erroneous Conscience Fourthly Conscience will be bribed by Lust takes in carnal reason and corrupt principles and will be satisfied in them Rom 1. imprisons truths in unrighteousness 1 Tim. 4.2 And it is insensible of any thing and it is just with God that that Officer in the man that had the great hand in corrupting should also have the great hand in tormenting the whole man Quest 4. Fourthly Why is not Conscience a Worm here as well as hereafter in Hell First Because Conscience cannot work of it self unless the Spirit of God awaken it c. Secondly Here is the working time of Conscience its suffering time shall be hereafter Here Conscience has great workes to do and great talents to imploy Heb. 13.18 The charge of the whole Life lies upon the Conscience and the Lord haâ— here a great house 2 Tim. 2.20 Understand it of the World or of the Church yet he has in it Vessek of Honour and some to Dishonour Now Why does God suspend the torment of the Devils It is because Christ has much work for them to do and they would have no pleasure in Sin if their Torments were fuller so it is with wicked men also and therefore the Lord has appointed a working time for Conscience to perform its viatory office and he has a pointed a suffering time for Conscience allo and he will not Torment them before that time Thirdly Hereby the Lord does exalt his own patience and long suffering so much the more for Sin being an infinite evil and a man that is but dust to provoke God to his Face and to do it the rather because God forbears them and sin the more because God forbears them and because of his patience because sentence is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set to do evil now that God should bear with much patience and long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and that the Lord should not stretch forth his own hand against them but that he should also suspend the working of their one Consciences and should not let loose the reins upon them which would bring them down in the midst of their galantry as Belshazer Felix Judas c. And that God should keep a hand upon their Consciences and withhold their own thoughts from flying upon them it does wonderfully set forth the patience of God The Lord knows how to reserve the wicked to the day of wrath Fourthly Many things here which stop the mouth of Conscience shall hereafter be removed and then Conscience will speak The Worm of Conscience is to the Soul as they say the disease of the Wolf is to the Body If it be fed with something from without will eat the less inwardly but take away all supplies from without and it destroys inwardly as all the good things of this Life will be gone and then the Soul turns in upon it self and will be its own Tormentor foâ— ever Rev. 20.12 And I saw thâ— dead small and great stand before God and the Books were openedâ— and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the Deaâ— were judged out of those things whicâ— were written in the Books according to their works It is an allusion to the day of judgment That 's granted by all The books opened are First the book of the Law and Gospel Secondly of Gods Omnisciency Thirdly of his Decre Fourthly the book of Conscience All those ancient Records that lay hid as Colours in the dark Rom. 2.15.16 or as something that is written with the juice of a Lemon you may read it when you bring it to the fire but not till then But we will now set forth those Tormenting acts of Conscience hereafter which shall be as the gnawings of this never dying worm but before we come to speak unto them perticularly it 's necessary that these four things be premised First That after this Life the Spirit of God shall come into the Conscience of a wicked man as a spirit of bondage fully for ever Conscience is but a subordinate power and acts allways with reference to a higher Law as a rule and a higher power as a Judge it is Regnum sub graviore Regno And therefore it never works by it self
that are there cannot be easily purged those unclean stables cannot be soon swept there is no power in nature to purge it for we are dead in trespasses and sins and what is more sutable to dead men then dead works and it is necessary to consider that if Conscience is not purged here it will never be purged and there is but one means in the world will do it First Consider the disease and that is a Conscience defiled with dead works as all the works of an unregenerat man are he being a dead man c. And Conscience is defiled onely by sin and there are two things in sin that defile the Conscience First the guilt of it Secondly the defilement of it and hence Divines say that as a good Conscience is either honeste bona pacate bona purged from the filth purified and and pacified in respect of the guilt So there is a twofold evil Conscience either moleste mala a Conscience disquieted with the guilt of sin or else vitiose mala polluted with the defilement the filth of sin and a mans Conscience must be purged from both these Secondly Here is the Medicine that must purge the Conscience from both these and that is the blood of Christ by the blood of Christ is meant that perfect satisfaction that he did give unto the justice of God for the sin of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim 2.6 A price every way answerable to the debt that we did owe Now there was a double debt that man did owe to God a debt of obedience as he was a creature and a debt of service as he was a sinner a debt of suffering the one answering the precept and the other the curse of the Law and both are here meant by the blood of Christ his whole and perfect satisfaction his active and passive obedience Onely our whole redemption is attributed to his blood Ephes 1.7 We have redemption through his blood because this was the last payment for the debt that Christ did pay for us was as a debt that men pay upon a bond by several parcels a little at one time and a little at another but the debt is not paid nor the bond cancelled till it be all paid so though indeed all the acts of obedience that Christ did perform in our nature they were for us and were part of that obedience that we did owe all the acts of obedience that he performs in the dayes of his humiliation takeing our nature upon him he did as our surety and many of his sufferings went before his death for he was dying all the while the thirty three years that he lived upon the earth being indeed a man of sorrows a worm and no man his suffering in his hunger and thirst labour and weariness and all the persecution that he suffered from men after he set his foot upon this earth they are to be counted as part of his satisfaction but yet the shedding of his blood upon the Cross and being delivered unto death for us this was the last and great act and from the last payment which did fully satisfie the debt and cancel the bond hence it has its denomination and so the whole satisfaction of Christ as our sacrifice and surety is here meant by the blood of Christ Thirdly The manner how this medicine doth work this Cure it is by sprinkling of it a man must have his heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience It is a Typical expression taken from the sacrifice under the Law the sacrifice must not onely be killed but the bloud must be sprinkled also where the pascal Lamb was to be slain they must take the blood in the Basin and with a branch of Hysope sprinkle it upon the dore-posts not that the Angel had need to have a signal that he might pass over their houses for he knew them well enough but they had need of it that they might thereby have their faith tried and strengthened in the sprinkling of that blood of which the blood of the Lamb was but a Type So Exod. 24.8 When they had offered the sacrifice Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon all the people Lev. 14.14 and when the Leaper was cleansed he came to the door of the Tabernacle and brought a trespass offering and the Priest did take of the blood and put it upon his right ear and the thumb of his right hand And in answer to all this Type the blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 And this sprinkling is nothing else but the application of his merit and satisfaction of this blood unto a mans own particular soul for in Christ's sacrifice there was a satisfaction and application the one is in killing the sacrifice and the other in sprinkling the blood and this is done when by a mighty work of the Holy Ghost the Conscience affected and afrighted with the guilt of sin doth rely and cast it self upon this satisfaction to be a sacrifice for him then is this satisfaction apropriated and applied unto him so this blood as sprinkled is a speaking blood it speaks better things then the blood of Abel that is it speaks so in the Conscience non vindictam clamat sed veniam Conscience is pacified and a man thereby puts his sins upon the head of the Beast Our sacrifice is a sufficient satisfaction and the Conscience is not terrified with the guilt of sin as if it were his own and as if he were to satisfie in his own person no more for the soul saith he was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am chief And here are these six things taken in by the soul to pacifie the Conscience in respect of guilt First When the soul sees by a spiritual and heavenly teaching that the great plot and design of God under the second Covenant is to take away sin Heb. 10.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To take sin off the sinner for if God will be just he must punish the sin and if he be mercifull in sparing the sinner there must be a way to separate the sin from the sinner and this the Lord will do by an act of Sovereignty such as he did never exercise unto persons under the first Covenant and that is by imputing of our sin unto another who was righteous 2 Cor. 5.20.21 and he was made sin for us who knew no sin he will be just and therefore there shall not be commutatio justitiae and he will be merciful and therefore there must be à commutatio personae there had been else no place for mercy to have come onely there is this one cause the Lord will change the person and by an act of absolute sovereignty the Lord will count it so that the sin shall be in Gods account in the guilt of it taken off from the one in
prize of the high calling and it is some ground that I have got already something that I have attain'd but yet it is but a little but upon a hope that I shall have him that indeed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my eye therefore I strive with all my might and press hard to the mark c. And thus the blood of Christ gives an efficacy unto all the precepts and the promises of the Gospel and they are all of them by this means of a cleansing nature they do purge the Conscience they have all a cleansing property Fifthly The blood of Christ doth purge the Conscience by sprinkling all means that it shall tend unto a mans purification that as by sin all things do become means to defile the Conscience so by the blood of Christ all things shall become means to purge the Conscience Tit. 1.15 Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and Conscience is defiled For under the law the sprinkling of the blood was not onely upon the person but upon the book and the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministery Heb. 9.19 Implying that none of these would have been instruments of purging of the Conscience if they had not themselves been first purged by the blood of Christ But what are the means that thus purge the Conscience First The word of God Ephes 5.26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the word and John 15.3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you c. Mens Consciences are purged by it but yet in it self it will increase the defilement as unto all unregenerate men it does Heb. 6.7 The ground that drinks in the rain that comes oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh to cursing And yet if Christ sprinkle it with his blood it will surely purge the Conscience and all the purging vertue that the word has is because his blood was sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice Secondly All other ordinances also 2 Cor. 3 3. First that of the ministery ye are our epistle and though ye have Ten thousand instructers yet not many Fathers but I have begotten you through the Gospel Now even this ordinance that was appointed for their cleansing will but increase their pollution of themselves if their uncircumcised heart should rise against the message they bring them to believe in the blood of Christ and then God in judgment says to his ministers go make the heart of this people fat let their hearts be hardened and their spirits rise against it that hearing they may hear and not understand least they be converted and I should heal them the Lusts of men are thereby the more exasperated and drawn forth as it did in the Pharisees under Christs ministery their enmity did rise to the sin against the Holy Ghost besides Blasphemy against the son of man but that the ministery is effectual to any souls it is onely the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon all the ordinances thereof and it will purge if Christ in it sit as a refiner of silver in his shop and do concurr in the ordinances to their refinement Thirdly The example of the Saints are a means of purging the Conscience Phil. 3.17 Be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample c. When a man doth observe unto what a pitch of holiness and purification the Saints of God have attained as the example of Christ so of the saints also such pressing forward to more spirituality such growth in grace and in knowledg such love to all Saints this is a great means to raise the hearts of them that fear God to give all diligence to be as they were holy in all manner of conversation But yet they will be a means of pollution of themselves even these glorious examples of Christ and his followers if not sprinkled with the blood of Christ and as the Pharisees looking upon the holyness of the Saints they were the more inraged so the more lively men do see holyness in the practise of it they hate it so much the more Fourthly Hos 2.6 Jer. 31.18 Isa 18. Afflictions When the Lord sends it upon any of his children this is all their fruit to take away their sin but yet afflictions will of themselves purge no mans Conscience but rather defile it as we see how the rage of mens spirits are drawn out by it as King Ahaz sin'd yet more the more he was afflicted and Revel 16.9.10 They did gnaw their tongues with pain and did blaspheme the God of Heaven but repented not of their evil deeds bray a Fool in a Morter and yet his folly will not depart from him but yet if Christs blood do sprinkle our crosses they shall be as corasives to eat out the proud flesh and they shall tend to heal him whom they had wounded Fifthly Sometimes the Lord will do it by sins in giving him up to some publick open and scandulous fall as he did with David lets him fall into that great evil of murder and adultery and that made him to wash himself throughout and it was a means to keep him low and to preserve him from sin all his life time after and we have the like instance in Peter in denying the Lord and cursing and swearing that he never knew him when thou art converted says Christ to him strengthen thy bretheren for he would be the stronger afterwards as a bone broke c. and the less apt to fall into sin Surely sins of themselves being filthiness it self cannot purge but will defile but yet sprinkled with the blood of Christ they shall be an occasion of purging Sixthly Sometimes the Lord will do it by leaving a man to the winnowings of Satan in some furious and violent temptation Satans aim is thereby to sift out all grace and to leave nothing but chaff in the soul for we fight not against flesh and blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things that concerne Heaven and Eternity and commonly men are foiled by them and are the more filthy by a touch of the wicked one 1 John 5.19 But when the Lord doth sprinkle a temptation with the blood of Christ it shall be a means to purge the soul and the poyson of it shall be tempered into a wholesome medicine as it was unto Paul * A Messenger of Satan c. 2 Cor. 12.7.8 It is sometime purging and sometimes preventing Physick to keep the soul from being lifted up c. The same may be said of mercies and of all the dispensations of providence for all shall work together for good that is for a mans spiritual and eternal good because they are all yours Creatures and providences
innocency of my hands have I done this and God bears witness to him that in the integrity of his heart he did it not knowing her to be another mans wife not with an intention to wrong her husband by taking her there is and may be a moral integrity in a particular action and a man may mean truly in that he doth and do that which is evil and yet not with an evil intention Now will Conscience excuse the man in the presence of God and say I intended no evil in that which I have done Joh. 16.2 they shall think that they do God good service nay in the worst and the most wicked actions even persecuting the Saints a man may conceive therein that he has done God service and he may bless himself in his own heart and Conscience may not only acquit a man but applaud him in that which he has done and so there is many a man out of a blind zeal and a spirit of errour and delusion that looks upon those things as great services to God and intends them so which will be discovered to be the great sins of their lives at the last day as it was in the Jews persecuting of Christ and the Desciples setting up the Law against the Gospel going about to establish their own righteousnes and not submiting unto the righteousness of Christ therein so Acts 13.50 there are devout and honourable women are stir'd up against the Apostles doctrine they made use of that natural devotion that was in them to persecute the Gospel and as Beza doth observe they did raise the persecution persuasis sc maritis engaged their husbands in the quarrel which is the condition of many a poor well meaning man that is not acquainted with the depths of Satan and the the delusions of the times at this day Secondly Sometimes it is from a mans ignorance and want of light and so his Conscience he thinks is good and speaks peace to him because he doth not see the evil that is in him Rom. 7. I was alive without the Law once he speaks it in reference to his state of unregeneracy and he saith sin was dead in respect of the guilt and the accusing and condemning power of it and Paul was alive full of presumtious self-confidence and self-excusations and acquitting himself and his Conscience did speak peace unto him and there is no guilt at all but yet afterwards the commandment came in the spiritual and convincing power of it and then the guilt of sin revived in me and I saw my self a dead man for without the Law sin is dead and therefore many a man that is quiet because the Law of God is not opened to him he has the Law in the Letter but not in the spiritual sence of it it is with ignorant souls in this respect as with colours in the dark there they are but not seen till the light be brought in so many a man is in the guilt of all abominations but they are not discovered till the light be brought in and then a man wonders how it was possible his Conscience could be quiet and hath such a load lye upon it Thirdly From a spirit of slumber that God pours out upon a man in judgment his Conscience being quiet through common works and outward duties a man having escaped the common pollutions of the world and lives in no gross way of sinning and is exceedingly censorious and severely exclaims against others and condemns and reproves those sins in others he doth shine as a light and is honoured by the Saints as one that doth truly fear God and is eminent in the profession of Religion as the foolish Virgins and the thorny ground have a lamp of profession bring forth some fruit has a name to live and with this Conscience is quieted and its peace is not disturbed and so it is with many a temporarie believer that had never more then a natural Conscience and some of them their Conscience in respect of the guilt of them is never awakened but they go out of the world even in a fools paradise with great hopes and say Lord Lord Mat. 7.22 have we not prophesied in thy name c as they are brought in saying at the day of judgment c. at death every mans eternal state is cast for immediately after death comes judgment Heb. 9.27 and in this day it is for men shall have a particular sentence passed upon them and receive their doom for their eternal state before the last day but at death men shall say Lord Lord open to me c. and from thence some of our divines say that an hypocrite may live and dye with a quiet Conscience in self-delusions and yet miss of Heaven in the height of his hopes and therefore it 's said Rom. 2.17 of the hypocritical Jews that they rest in the Law c. and so they may do along time in the profession and outward Priviledges of the Law and an outward obedience thereunto that when God shall awaken their Consciences as he doth many of them some to conviction only and some to conversion they are surprized with the greatest horrour and amazement of any other men in the world and though there may be a great deal of quiet and seeming goodness in Conscience that is natural yet it is not truly a good Conscience it has but a shew of goodness and there is the guilt of sin laid up in it that will surely shew forth it self at the last and great day sin lyes at the door and it will awaken and revive and condemn him But there is away to keep the Conscience pure from the guilt of sin in the sight of God that a man shall have no more Conscience of sin and there are three ways or steps to a pure Conscience before God in this respect First In a mans Conversion when the Lord Christ as a surety and as a sacrifice is offered unto him and he consents to the terms upon which Christ is offered that he may have an interest in the satisfaction that he has given and that his sins may be done away and he stand righteous and aquited before God and so at a mans Conversion all his sins in his unregenerate state is pardoned and the guilt of them is covered so that they are unto his Conscience as if they had never been his sins are by virtue of union imputed to Christ and Christs righteousness imputed to him and he is made the Lord our righteousness 2 Cor 5.21 1 Pet. 3.21 and we are the righteousness of God in him which is by the answer of a good Conscience which I conceive to be an allusion to the antient manner of baptising wherein the people confessed their sins and did answer unto certain questions that were then asked therein engaging themselves by a publick profession unto Christ to consent to his Covenant so when it was done sincerely then it is said to be the answer of a
think to accomplish their ends by cutting down and destroying the Scriptures truly God will not bear it but that Word shall be armed against them that they have despised and shall certainly overtake them Zac. 1.6 It may lye upon the ground for a while in the esteem of men but God will cause it again to arise and all the strength of flesh shall fall before it for it is this word that plants kingdomes and plucks them up and God will certainly call this nation to an account for his Word that has been abused by it and turned behind our backs c. Thirdly How should a man keep his judgment pure that his principles be not corrupted First Get a humble and a self denying heart There are two great causes of a mans turning unto errour in the Scripture one is pride and a design to be some body in matter of knowledg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Si. Magus and therefore Col. 2. They be men puffed up by their fleshly Lusts superbia est mater haereseus una est intentio omnibus haereticis captare de singularitate scientiae Bern. And the other is thereby to compass some worldly end some worldly Lust Rom. 16.19 They serve not God but their own Bellies now that man that seeks the truth of God for the truths sake and neither to gain honour by it before men nor to compass any other worldly end he will not easily be biassed and led away by the errours of the times and if he should be mistaken in any thing we may hope that the truth will be revealed to him in time though we may see him turn aside for the present Secondly Get thy heart filled with the love of the truth and thou wilt not be easily carried from it for the word being received in a good and honest heart Luk. 8.15 it doth abide there and holds out and brings forth fruit with patience Alexander was a companion with the Apostle in his tribulation and sufferings and suffered great persecution for the truth of God and yet proved a Heretick a bitter enemy unto the Gospel a blasphemer and what was the reason Because he had not an honest heart nor an inward love unto the Word that he did teach and profess he put away a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.20 and he did cherish himself in some known sin and therefore he did make shipwrack of the Faith 2 Thes they were given up to believe that lye because they received not the truth in the love of it if we make truth but matter of talk we shall never be able to stand fast in it or profess it if perfecution arise for the word sake or if false Doctrine be spread we shall be taken with it for it is not Learning but Love that makes a man constant unto the Truth the greatest Schollars have fallen from it and have denyed the truth and the weakest have stood to it and professed it in the time when it was persecuted and it is because the one did know much but the other did love much they had claimed it as their inheritance and therefore no wonder they stood for it but other men concern themselves for it but as Lawyers do other mens evidences and therefore they care not greatly which way the Cause goes when it comes to a hearing and debate for they have their Fee before hand for their labour so it is easie to loose that out of a mans head that he never had in his heart nor never cared to have c. Thirdly Get your hearts well grounded in the principles of Religiligion the doctrine that is according to godliness and stick to that there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 6.17 a patern of wholesome words 2 Tim. 1.13 and let the foundation be throughly laid lay some truths for granted do not question all things for if so it 's no wonder if a man deny all things or if he ever believe and receive any thing Acts 20.30 there shall arise of your own selves men speaking perverse things to draw away Desciples after them c. But I commend you to God and the word of his grace 2 Pet. 2.1 2. they shall bring in damnable heresies and many shall follow their pernicious wayes but be mindfull of the words of the Prophets and Apostles give heed to them as to a light shining in a dark place and keep close to the Ministry thereof Ephes 4.11 he hath given some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangilists and some Pastures and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ c. that henceforth we should not be as children Cant. 1.7 if we would not turn aside to the flocks of the companions go forth and feed thy Kids beside the shepherds tents c. which I fear is no small ground of the design of Satan in decrying the Scriptures and Ministry at this day Fourthly Take heed of affecting curiosities in Religion and to dote upon questions that minister strife and not edifying for by these many men are seduced and subverted indeed there is no truth of God but is precious and things revealed belong to us and our children and whatever things are written are written for our learning and we should desire to be filled with all the knowledge of his Will Col. 1.9 but yet there is a desire of knowledge that is dangerous even in the things of God First when neglecting the great things and they that are necessary all our enquiries run out into niceties and lesser things 1 Pet. 2.1 2. as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby and John 16.12 I have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now they will do you harm they will do you more harm then good because you are not capable to receive them Rom 14.1 we read that a man weak in the faith is not to be admited into doubtfull disputations and therefore he should not thrust himself into doubtfull disputations Secondly when men desire knowledge in the general that is only for knowledge sake and not that he may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work c. it is the doctrine that is according to godliness that we should desire and if the end of any thing in Religion be in knowledge only and it rests there thou wilt easily be corrupted for knowledge is the bait with which thou wilt be taken Col. ◠if it be but a show of wisdom only which does not lead to practise it will come to nothing for the end of the truths of God being revealed to us is not for our talking but doing not for the showing forth of mens parts but their graces and vertues Fifthly Receive nothing of Religion upon credit and the authority of man be he never so learned and never so
sins Thirdly That all a mans comfort comes in by it Isa 40.1 says God speak comfortably to her and tell her that her fins are pardoned be of good cheer for thy sins are forgiven and Gods people many of them that walk in bitterness all their dayes and have sad hearts and they pray and their souls draw near to the grave and all this God permits that he might raise the price of pardon in their hearts when he bids them be of good cheer their sins are forgiven and then their flesh comes again as the flesh of a young child These and many the like principles of prophaness there is in the hearts of men and these being once granted they do bear a great sway with a man in his whole life Thus we have seen how to keep a pure Conscience in respect of the principles in mens hearts Now let us come to the second which is how to keep Conscience pure in respect of practise and therein two things are to be spoken to First The notes of a defiled Conscience Secondly Rules how to preserve it pure from defilement First Marks how to judge of the defilement of a mans Conscience as first when a man sins much against knowledge Tit. 1.15 and to sin against knowledge is one of the highest aggravations of sin and it makes every sin to be presumptious and qualifies a man Heb. 10.27 for the great transgression if a mans sin will fully after he has received the knowledge of the truth if you had been blind you had had no sin the Pharisees and the people committed the same sin they all persecuted Christ but the Pharisees sin'd against the Holy Ghost in it and the people did it ignorantly and repented sins that are ignorantly commited leave a door open to mercy Paul obtained mercy for I did it ignorantly in unbelief yet though he did it ignorantly there was need of mercy but because he did it ignorantly therefore there was hope of mercy there was place for mercy and the more the light is of education and example the greater the sin it is a great advantage to have good education Pro. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it and so Pro. 31.1 it was that which his mother taught him and Timothy knew the Scriptures from a child and examples do aggravate sins Isa 26.10 In a Land of uprightness will he deal unjustly c. and Dan. 5. Thou Belshazzar hast not humbled thy heart though thou knowest all this to have a light within a man as well as example without to have been once enlightned and tasted of the heavenly gift and then fall away it 's impossible to renew them unto repentance for a man to turn away from professed light and cast up his vomit and lick it up again and as a washed Sow return to the myre again and after many years enquiring of God return with Saul the Witches This is a dreadfull state and such a one had better never to have known the wayes of God c. Secondly When a man resolves to reserve to himself any way of sinning Joh 20.12 Some sweet Morsell and the man hides it see it in Herod he did hear John Baptist gladly and did many things but there was a Herodias that he did reserve and was resolved he could not part with it so there is a way of wickedness that men will not turne from as there are fundamentals in faith and errours in these are most dangerous to destroy the foundation so there are some fundamentals in practise and they will subvert all and this is one of the main that a man deny himself in every known sin pluck out the right eye and cut off the right hand and there is no man that is more polluted in the sight of God than he that spares a right eye or a right hand for there is no sin that this one evil reserved will not draw him to Luke 8.13 in the time of temptation he will fall away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Herod try him in his darling and he will turn a persecutor of that way that before he professed and Judas in his covetousness turn'd Devil and betray'd his Master Thirdly When men fall often into the same sin see it in Sampson and Peter that the Lord lets them fall so fouly at the Last being insnared by carnal confidence so often and Jonas was angry again and again and justified it when a man makes a sin his meat and drink the comfort of his life comes in by it from day to day it 's a sad sign Fourthly with the more hardness of heart and with the less relenting sin is committed and the longer he can lye in it unrepented of as we see it in Judas he was told of the evil and danger of it it had been good for him if he never had been born and yet he goes out and saith What will you give me and some good men as David and Solomon yet lay long in a way of sinning the sooner a man riseth after falls and a mans heart smites him as Davids did the more pure is that mans Conscience in the sight of God to be past feeling and for men to give themselves up to uncleanness Eph. 4.19 it 's a sad sign of a sear'd Conscience 1 Tim. 4.2 c. Fifthly When a temptation takes speedily with a man John 13.27.30 Christ did give Judas a Sop which was a signal to give Satan a farther possession of him and he follows the temptation but after that he went immediately out there was no more consultation so the sooner also that motions to duty prevail with a man the more pure his Conscience is when the Lord sayes seek you my face the Soul presently answers thy face Lord will I seek the spirit sayes come and the Bride sayes come and the sooner motions to sin take with a man the more impure and defiled is his Conscience Pro. 7.23 He no sooner saw a Harlot but he went after her straight way their hearts are hot as an Oven c. Sixthly The more a man plots iniquity and dothdeliberate it before hand makes pro vision for the flesh the adulterer waits for the twy-light Rom. 13.14 and he doth lye in wait at his neighbours door when men dig deep for wayes how to accomplish that that is evil the more men exercise their wits in sin and the more devilish wisdom is in it to commit iniquity by counsell and advice is the wisdom of the flesh ingeniose nequam as Pharaoh men will destroy the just by cruelty and yet deal wisely and Julian by clemency yet deal wisely let them enjoy their liberty by corrupting them by liberty and in peace destroy them God abhors plotted wickedness and surely God will bring it to nought and confound men by it Seventhly When men watch oppertunities of sinning and be glad ofthem and be sorry
soul upon it self it 's own filthiness and wilfull folly What fair offers and opportunities he has had and neglected what fair hopes he had conceived and they are vanished and how all the pleasures of sin and the promises of Satan have deceived him as a Brook that passeth by and this will gnaw upon the soul with remediless and unconceivable torment for ever this is the Worm that never dyes and truly there is no consideration in the World will work upon the hearts of men if this dreadfull one does not That a man that lives and dyes in sin in a sinfull state shall be tormented for ever with fire that shall never be quenched and this nevever dying Worm shall gnaw upon him to all Eternity with remediless and unconceivable torments for ever This is the Worm that never dyes After this life a wicked mans own Conscience shall be his tormenter Doctrine The Worm dyes not it will be a great instrument that God will use in a mans destruction There are Four things to be spoken to in the Explication First to shew what Conscience is which is here resembled to a Worm Secondly To prove that this Conscience shall be a mans tormenter Thirdly To give the grounds and the reasons of it Fourthly To set forth some of those acts that Conscience as a Worm shall put forth the manner of the working of it in the gnawings of a Worm and then come to the Application Quest 1. First What is Conscience Answ It is an ability in the understanding to judge of a mans self his Estate and Actions according to the rule that God hath prescribed Here observe First It is an ability in the understanding for I make it not as some do a distinct faculty therefore it is in no Creatures but those that are reasonable Men and Angels other Creatures are directed to an end and they work by a rule thereunto but they neither know their end nor their rule neither are they able to reflect upon their actions whether they have done good or evil and therefore no Creature can sin but a reasonable Creature for sin must be a transgression of a Rule which a man doth or ought to know and to walk answerable unto and therefore it is made a proper act of a man Isa 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men Secondly Conscience must have a rule indeed the Scripture doth require that men should walk according to their consciences and do as their Conscience doth dictate unto them Rom. 13.5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but for Conscience sake ye must be subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when Conscience requires one thing and Lust another and the man receives not the rule of Conscience but of Lust he doth then imprison the truth in unrighteousness where the Dictates of Conscience are called the truth Rom. 1.18 though it be but of a natural Conscience But yet here men mistake for Conscience is but regula regulata not the highest rule for it must it self have a Rule to judge by Gal 6.16 and he that doth not go by rule and hath no higher rule to regulate his Conscience and yet doth by his Conscience regulate his Actions Conscience being defiled Pit 1.15 He doth walk with God at a venture Lev. 26.21 And this rule of Conscience is the whole revealed wil of God whether ex principiis naturae or scripturae whatever God requires of a man as duty whether by his word or by his works and Conscience knows no other rule but the will of God revealed because it is subjected unto no other God only can command the Conscience and bind the Conscience because he only can judge the Conscience Now the understanding having nothing else but a principal of nature for it's rule we call that a natural Couscience and they that have the word of God for their rule or any special work of illumination from the Holy Ghost whether it be common or saving we call this an inlightned Conscience answerable unto the rule that it has to judge by either of mens states or wayes Thirdly The chief act of Conscience and that which is only proper and essential to it is to judge of the man according to this rule and to pronounce a sentence upon him whether good or evil and hence is the accusing and the excusing power of Conscience Rom. 2.14 15. if Conscience judge of an action to answer the rule then it excuseth and if that be different from the rule then it accuseth and therefore 't is said Joh. 8.9 They are consinced of their own Consciences that is their Consciences laid their acts to the rule and did tell them that they did not agree to it and they could not deny it and therefore went their way and therefore Conscience is alwayes in Scripture called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a knowing and judging of one thing with another a knowing and judging of a mans state or actions with the rule 2 Cor. 4.2 we approve our selves to every mans conscience says the Apostle in the sight of God and that is all our aim we seek not to approve our selves to your lusts your fancies we may sometime in our Ministerie reprove sin that you are not willing to leave and press to duty that you are not willing to practice we may cross your affections and provoke your lusts but yet we know that we have something within you that takes our part and doth approve the Doctrine that we teach and the duties that we practice all the while so that the main of Conscience lyes in judging or applying an action to the rule and pronouncing a sentence accordingly So that in 1 Cor. 11.31 Judge your selves c. and Isa 5.3 Judge I pray between me and my Vineyard So that Conscience is an ability in a man having a rule given him to reflect upon his actions and state and â—udge whether it agree with the rule that is given to it or no. 4thly That which is subjected to the judgement of Conscience is a mans state and wayes the whole man To judge other men is not properly our work either their actions or states unless we are called by special Office thereunto for thou judgest another mans servant he stands and falls to his own Master But a mans whole self is subjected to the judgement of Conscience First Conscience judges of a mans state 1 Joh. 3.20 If thy heart condemn thee or do not condemn thee and Jam. 1.24 The Word doth shew a man what manner of man he is and in what state he stands towards God whether he be one of the wise or foolish Virgins or builders whether he build upon a Rock or the Sand. Now consciscience takes this rule and lays a mans state to it and tels the man this is my condition Secondly Conscience judges of mens actions Rom. 9.1 I speak the truth I lye not my Conscience bearing me witness 〈◊〉
no more about these streightned objects but about the vast things of Eternity for ever The things of Eternity pass knowledg and pass fear 1 Cor. 13.12 This life in grace is but childhood to Heaven the faculties and abilities of our souls are streightned so this life in sin and misery is but childhood unto Hell for there shall the soul be inlarged for God has made the soul capable of greater joyes and greater sorrows greater blessings and greater sufferings then there are in this Life and he would never have prepared such vessels either for wrath or glory but that he means to fill them and this inlargement shall be by degrees as he will fill them by degrees and as grace inlarges and prepares the heart for glory Col. 1.12 so does sin inlarge and prepare the heart for wrath and therefore they are said Rom. 9.23 To be vessels fited for distruction as well as prepared for glory c. Fourthly After this Life all comfortable affections and actings of the soul shall have an end There be some acts of soul that are comforting and cheering and there are some acts that are afflicting and tormenting the comforting acts are in refference to good things either present or to come if present the soul loves them and rejoyceth in them and if absent the soul loves them desires them and hopes for them and all these do cheer the soul and in the exercise of these the life of the soul comes in but after this Life all good things of this Life in present fruition or future reversion shall have an end From the creatures all good things at Death shall take their leave they are but this worlds goods and for all good things from God there shall be none for they shall have Judgment without mercy pure and utter darkness there shall not be a beam of light or the hope of any good thing for the soul to live upon unto Eternity for if a man were to lye in Hell a million of years and were to expect then a release his soul would live but being swallowed up in eternity of misery without hope the soul dyes These affections shall still remain in the soul but because they have no object therefore shall never be exercised as fear and sorrow are in the Saints in Heaven but never are exercised because there is no object upon which it should be exercised Therefore in Hell there never shall be an act of love or joy or hope more to eternity the hope of the wicked is as the giving up of the Ghost he breaths it out with his last breath and he shall never hope more for ever and there are in the soul some tormenting and afflicting acts in reference unto evil things present or to come if it be present there is sorrow and if to come fear and if it be looked upon as an insuportable and inseparable no way to escape it there is dispair for ever Now seeing there shall be the absence of all good at present and in hope and the presence of all evil and a mans condition under it helpless and hopeless therefore after this life to ungodly men all comforting acts of soul shall cease and all the tormenting acts shall take place and act in their full power and vigour for ever Now let us come to the particulars wherein Conscience doth apear to be a worm after this life manely There is a four fold act of Conscience and in every one of them it does hereafter become a worm First There is an act of Accusation Secondly of Conviction Thirdly of Condemnation Fourthly of Execution The torments that follow the soul after all these and in these does this furious reflection of the soul upon it self consist First An act of accusation Rom. 2.15 Conscience accusing and excusing and this consists in two things First A reviewing and reflecting upon the rule that a man did and should have walked in Secondly Upon the unanswerableness of a mans wayes unto this rule and so Conscience shall charge upon a man all the errours of his way for an accusation does suppose and lay down a Law and then charges a man with the breach thereof there is a double book of Conscience the first is a book of precepts and rules secondly a book of practises First For the book of rules and precepts there shall be manifested three things after this life First There are many rules of duty that we are ignorant of and so there are many sins of ignorance committed that men know not to be a sin because they are unacquainted with the rule of duty for we know in part and prophecy in part 1 Cor. 13. There is a vail upon the hearts of men in many things that they know not what they do Now to this end the book of Law and Gospel shall be opened and thereby a mans Duty discovered and Conscience inlightned in those things which here it never knew Rom. 2.16 for he will judge the secrets of all men according unto my Gospel c. Secondly There are several sins commited out of errour and mistake and upon false rules The Lord will bring forth and discover unto a man all these false and erroneous principles by which he has been led in his whole course John 16.2 1 Cor. 2.8 had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory Rom. 10.2 they have a zeal but not according to knowledg many things they did from an erroneous Conscience now all these false principles that mislead a man in his wayes shall be brought forth also and the falshood of them discovered Thirdly There are many true principles which Conscience does receive here from the word and the ministery thereof which are called truth Rom. 1.18 Who withhold the truth in unrighteousness All these rules in their authority holiness and equity shall be set before a man and how all of them were required of man for his good Thus the book of precepts being opened and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Conscience inlarged now follow the opening of the second book and that is that of practises First Conscience does charge upon a man sins of ignorance this thou hast done through ignorance of such a rule as Paul knew not Lust to be a sin before that the Commandment said thou shalt not Lust and then thy ignorance shall be discovered unto thee before men and angels and that with all thy means and opertunities of knowledg you to whom the Lord wrote the great things of his Law that had the Scriptures in your own Language and freedom and liberty to use them you that had all manner of helps publickly and privately preaching and writing wherein men do transcribere aias you that dwelt in the valley of Vision and yet of these things you are wilfully ignorant and in the things you know not in them you have corrupted your selves now they that counted it matter of shame to be instructed by a
there will be a time when judgment shall rejoyce over mercy for ever and it is much easier to change the seasons of the year that it shall not be summer and winter in its season rather then the seasons of the attributes of God for the curse is dying thou shalt dye Secondly No hope of mitigation or ease thy honours shall do thee no good it shall not descend after thee nor thy Riches shall not profit in the day of wrath Pro. 11.4 there is nothing but Righteousness can then avail thou shalt carry nothing with thee to bribe the flames or corrupt thy tormenters and not a drop of water Luke 16. not the smallest mitigation to eternity and this is properly the death of the soul loosing the soul Mat. 16.26 for so long the soul will live as long as there is hope but hope defer'd makes the heart sick and hope perished makes the heart dye the consideration of eternity swallows up a created understanding to be punished with eternal destruction depart into everlasting fire this is astonishment and dreadful amazement there shall be perfect fear for a man shall receive the spirit of bondage perfectly which is 2 Kin. 1.7 a spirit of fear we see it in the Devils Mat. 8.29 though they are in torment for the present yet there is a time of greater torment which they expect and that which they know they are reserved for and this they continually fear Luke 8.28 Here is the Dev. is prayer I beseech thee torment me not before the time c. so Dives though in torment yet he desires that his brethren may not come into the same place not that there is any charity in Hell for the Devil would have all men damn'd with himself and our natural affections shall cease in Hell but only fear of worse to come still remains Here in this life ungodly men are fearless and they seem to mock at fear as Job speaks c. but there is a time when their fear shall come Pro. 1.26 I will mock when their fear comes for it will come upon them as an armed man and the Lord will pour out upon them a trembling heart Deu◠28.65 and fear shall be on very side they shall be full of terrible apprehensions and so become Magor Missabib Jer. 20.3 4 Isa 13.8 their faces shall be as flames which denotes the variety of sad impressions upon them they shall change and be as tremulous as a flame Secondly The terrours of God shall set themselves in array against a man Job 6.4 and we know the terrour of the Lord how dreadful it is when he shall stir up all his wrath and thou shalt pay the uttermost farthing and he will recover all that glory upon thee by thy suffering that he has lost by thy sinning Thirdly Men may say but though I know not what God can inflict because it shall be his wrath put forth in the power of it though I know not what God can do yet I know what I can suffer but the Lord will surely inlarge the faculties and thou shalt be in a continual terrour that thou knowest not what the Lord will inlarge thee to suffer for thou art a vessel of wrath and therefore 't is said Psal 90.11 even according to thy fear so is thy wrath c. Fourthly Hence shall follow a distraction and madness Psal 88.15 while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted and also blasphemy I wish I were above God sayes Spira and a desire of annihilation wishing that he had never been Job 7.14 his soul chose strangling rather Judas does dispatch himself to be rid of his fears the wicked shall rise to judgment but they shall not be able to stand in judgment saith Spira this I know and it torments me with pangs unutterable and yet there is nothing that I desire more than that I might come unto that place where I might know the worst of my torment and so be freed from the fear of worse to come Nay fear doth anticipate our evils beforehand and thereby a man may even bring upon himself an eternity of torments at once in the fear of it the creature knows not the terror of the Lord unless it be discover'd to him my sufferings are great but my fears are endless and makes a man to suffer even an eternity of torments at once First Vse Seeing that Conscience shal be a mans tormentor at the last and that the Worm is bred from the putrefaction and corruption that is it the Conscience it should be a seasonable exhortation to get your Conscience purged that there may be nothing within you to breed this Worm 2 Tim. 1.3 We read of a pure or a purged Conscience and 〈◊〉 this be done thou needest not to fear for there will be nothing in thee fo◠this Worm to feed upon And here it will be good to consider First By nature thy Conscience i◠defiled for as upon the whole So◠defilement came by sin so Conscience having a special hand in the sin its defilement came specially upon the Conscience Secondly Tit. 1.15 Every sin committe◠adds unto this defilement as Mark 7.20.21 And this defiles the man there is not a vain thought in thy heart a vain word in thy mouth a sinful glance of thine eye Heb. 9.19 but it adds unto thy defilement for Jer. 17.1 It is Conscience that receives all and registers all all dead works lye there this is the Tophet or the Golgotha in the man all the filthiness of his life is there laid up as in a treasure for wrath and vengeance against the day of the revelation of the just judgment of God Jer. 2.22 Thirdly There is no power in nature to purge the Conscience for thou art dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 And what can be more sutable to dead works should a man fast and pray could he fill the air with sighs and weep even to the brim it would add to his defilement because all the works of nature are dead works and their very prayers are turned into sin and their sacrifices are an abomination and that which adds unto his defilement can never cleanse it Fourthly If Conscience be not purged here it will never be purged hereafter Here indeed there is a plaister that will kill this Worm but if it out live the time of this life it is immortal it will never dye peccatum viatorum deleri potest Aquin. damnatorum non potest c. The Lord will say I would have purged you but you would not be purged therefore you shall never be purged from your iniquity for ever Fifthly There is but one medicine in the world will do it and if you miss of that you will dye in your sins and lye down with your Consciences full of the sins of your youth you may fly to prayer and preaching and think to have it done by these but it will never be there is but
God but Christs righteousness did please him in him his soul delights and is well pleased sin blotted out Gods Image in man Christ restored it again we were full of all unrighteousness and he fulfilled all righteousness my sins are all hainous but greater were charged upon Christ he was a sufferer as a Traytor a blasphemer a Drunkard a Seducer a Conjurer a Devil he was made sin for us he made his grave with the wicked and thy heart was very wicked and full of enmity when thou didst commit sin but Christs heart was holy and full of love to God when he satisfied for it thou didst delight in sin and so did Christ delight to suffer he was payned till his sufferings were ended thou didst sin openly at such a time and such a place c. The Lord suffered without the gate openly in the view of all and as thy sin is the greatest sin so is his most shamefull suffering in the most solemn time as it were before all the world and in a most infamous place as the greatest malefactor as it were at Tyburne and for the company he suffered in it was between two Theeves c. when a soul is able to silence the guilt and clamour of his Conscience by answering all that Conscience can object by finding out something in the righteousness and satisfaction of Christ to answer it and faith is not nonplussed truly this is a work of an almighty power for while men go on in the pleasures of sin so long sin is nothing sin sits with no weight upon them but when their Conscience is awakened to it by and by their spirits are overwhelmed with it as Judas was now for a man to see sin in its utmost dimensions and not to spare and be streightned in his humiliation and yet when Conscience has said its worst yet for him to be able to look into Christ and see something in him that shall answer all its accusations with as great strength of spiritual reason as the other can be objected and for a mans soul to be stay'd by such thoughts when he is even going down to the pit this is an almighty power Thirdly When a man is convinced of sin and sees himself to be an undone man knows not whether God will be mercifull unto him or no he walks in darkness in point of justification and yet his heart is kept in a constant awe of sinning against God he would do nothing that should displease him for a world his darling lust doth yield and strike sail to the contrary grace Sam. 50.10.11 he fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant he would do nothing that should displease him for a world and yet he knows not whether he shall find mercy with him or no but his soul takes up an unchangeable resolution against sin and sayes I will walk no more in a way of sinning saved or damned I will be willing to obey him and count it my happiness to do him service and I will be willing to wait upon him let him do with me as it seems good in his sight if casting a mans self upon Christ make a man fear to sin against him there is an almighty power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that all the power of a natural Conscience will never make the man to yield up his darling-lust as there is a Conscience moleste mala full of perplexity in respect of guilt and the purging of the Conscience therein lies in its pacification when a man looking upon sin in its greatness and exceeding sinfulness and yet can see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the satisfaction of Christ unto which as a City of refuge he flyes being pursued Heb. 6.18 and upon that he casts himself and pleads it before the judgment seat of God that the debt is paid and the surety acquited and this he doth either by an act of recombancy and reliance or else by an act of assurance as the Lord is pleased to clear his interest and so the man is for ever perfected according to his Conscience that is Heb. 9.6 though sin doth cleave to him and the guilt of sin may by Satan be presented to him yet conscience flying unto Christ for a refuge and finding in him a perfect satisfaction the man casts all upon his surety and his Conscience is calm and serene as a man himself indebted must needs be when he knows that his surety hath paid his debt and though there be a dayly application of this unto the soul yet there is but one oblation and the man upon this ground hath no more Conscience of sin in respect of the guilt of it for ever and this pacification of the Conscience is the perfection of the man c. But there is a Conscience also that is vitiose mala full of the defilement and pollution of sin 1 Tit. 1.15 All evil is put under too heads malum triste afflicting evil or malum turpe defiling evil and sin has in it both these as it binds a man over unto all afflicting evil so there is a guilt and as it doth fill a man with all polluting evil so there is a defilement a macula a stain and filthiness of sin and it hath all the filthiness in the World in it it is leprosy pollution in blood a sepulcher and the rottenness thereof it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very excrement of wickedness Jam. 1.21 that if there could be any thing more filthiness then naughtiness it self it is sin it has defaced the image of God and the native beauty of the soul and it hath brought upon a man positive filthiness even the image of the Devil and the dreadful marks of hellish deformity that cannot be washed away with Niter and much Sope Jer. 17.1 Though this be an universal pollution that overspreads the whole man defiles body and soul and spirit yet the main defilement of sin lyes in the Conscience and where every sin doth add to the pollution as every act intends the habit above all the faculties the defilement of the Conscience is increased thereby Now the great pollution of the soul lyes in a spirit of slumber Conscience letting a man commit evil and not to tell him it is evil and in his sencelesness under sin Isa 29.10 Ephes 4.19 Being bribed by Lust and passions and pleasures to give consent to a sin and to plead for it for Conscience to pass sentence for a sin and that in the name of God 1 Joh. 16.2 and say that it is a duty and stirs up a man to it which it may be is one of the greatest sins of his Life Conscience pleads for sin and excuses a man falsly speaking peace to a man in a corrupt and cursed state saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst c. In a reprobate sense to be in such a mind that Conscience approves things that
good Conscience but if not it was the answer of the lips only as it was in Simon Magus c. and hence came those forms in the primitive Churches of questions propounded unto the baptized persons to renounce the world the flesh and the Devil their giving up of themselves to Christ with their solemn answer or stipulation thereunto a man having thus accepted of Christ as his surety and sacrifice being offered unto him in the Gospel and given up himself unto him all his sins in the guilt of them that were committed by him in the days of his unregeneracy are all done away his sins are all of them put upon the head of the sacrifice and are taken off the man in respect of the guilt of them before God as if they had never been so that they shall never be imputed to the man any more for the Lord hath found a ransome If we look upon sin as a burden it is taken off the sinner Psal 32.1 and lyes upon him no more Hos 14.2 Take away our iniquity It is to take the weight and the burden off the Conscience and lay it upon another that is able to bear it if we look upon sin as filthiness and so it is in pardon covered there is a garment of Christs righteousness drawn over the man Zac. 4. take away the filthy garments look upon sin as an enemy and as the guilt of it did domineer over us and inslave us and so Mich. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities and cast them into the depth of the Sea He will cast them behind his back as a thing that he will never look upon to punish or condemn the man for they shall never be imputed unto him Isa 38.17 Nâ—m 23.21 and so will see no iniquity in Jacob which is not meant as if God did not behold the sins of his people and is angry with them for he is so as we see it in Moses and David and the Church Mich. 7.19 â—ut he will not see them in a judicial way so as to proceed against them and condemn them for it But be their sins never so great red as scarlet he will drown them in the depth of the Sea as far as the East is from the West Psal 113.12 Isa 1.18 and Jer. 15 20. In those days the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none c. Shall be sought for by a judicial inquiry as the Lord will make for blood and all manner of iniquity they shall not be found that is in judgment that shall not be found unto the mens condemnation for they are all satisfied for and done away in Christ So that a mans sins shall never be imputed any more For the righteousness that is imputed unto the soul is everlasting righteousness and they shall therefore be as if they had never been So that what ever a mans sins were before his conversion when he hath laid hold on the righteousness of Christ and accepted of his Covenant tendering him pardon in him the guilt of his sin is totally and perfectly taken away and is as it had never been Psal 51.7 Wash me and I shall be whither then Snow c. Therefore the first way to have the Conscience purged from the guilt 〈◊〉 sin is by the answer of a good Conscience c. Secondly Whereas a believer and a justified person doth sin against God and contract new guilt every day there must therefore be a dayly repentance and a dayly application of the righteousness of Christ unto the soul and a daily and a continuâ—â— imputation on Gods part of thâ—â— righteousness and here we mâ—â—â— take notice First That a justified person is not freed from sin but that he doth fall into sin every day we see it in Paul and in David and in the Saints Secondly Their daily sins do bring upon their persons a guilt Psal 51.10 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God every new sin doth bring a new guilt there is a double guilt of sin reatus personae peccati the one cannot be separated from the sin but the other may when the righteousness of Christ is applied to the soul Thirdly Lying under this guilt of a perticular sin God is really angry with him not onely in his own apprehension but God hides the light of his Countenance from him Psal 32.3.4 While I kept silence my bones consumed away for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me and my moisture is turned into the draught of Summer Selah He is filius sub irae though not ire the Lord puts him upon a Rack and writes bitter things against him as if he were an enemy and there is a suspension and an interdiction of all the effects of Gods justification till he do repent Fourthly Under this guilt and wrath every man shall lye so long as he continues in this sin impenitently when he doth believe and repent for that sin then it shall be pardoned and the guilt taken off the Conscience and the man restored unto his former state to plead the priviledges of his justification which he could not before but was as it were under a state of sequestration as the Leaper under the Law though he had right unto all the ordinances yet he had not the actual use and benefit and injoyment of any of them and therefore we read that though repentance be not a cause of pardon nor Faith a cause of pardon yet it is the hand that receives it and the quallification of the subject upon whom the Lord will bestow it And therefore we read of a dayly sacrifice amongst the Jews even a continual burnt offering so believers are to have recourse unto Christ for their dayly failings Job 13.10 and he that is washed need not save to wash his feet for there is a fiâ—th contracted by a mans daily walking that a man must apply the righteousness of Christ for that it may be done away and therefore David till he repented his sin was not pardoned as we read of but when he did confess his sin then Nathan said unto him the Lord hath put away thy sin and Act. 3.19 Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out c. and Ezech. Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine And according to the Scripture I know no ground that any man should believe that his sins are pardoned till he hath repented Fifthly There is a daily application of the righteousness of Christ unto us by Faith and there is a continual and a daily imputation of it unto us by God and therefore we are taught by Christ to pray daily Forgive us our trespasses which unto a justified man what can be the meaning nothing but this I know that my sins are already pardoned even all that ever I have shall or can commit let me onely have the pardon of them witnessed unto my soul but I
defilement that may befall a mans Conscience First there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Conscience is the seat of practical principles as there is a judgment in Conscience that it can make of what is true and what is false what is good and what is evil Secondly There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I knowing and a judging of mans person and his wayes by these principles and the acts of Conscience that follow thereupon and the corruptions of either of these will pollute the Conscience First There is a Synteresis which are the principles by which men are acted in their ways which are the rules by which a man walks and by which he doth judge of himself and of all his ways and by which he doth direct and steer his whole course if these be true the Conscience is so far kept pure that though a man may sin against his knowledge and be carryed away by the violence of temptation yet it is contrary unto the rule and the principle that is within him there is something in him that is contrary to it and condemns it and takes part with God and with duty and the more a mans judgment and Conscience is leavened with corrupt principles the more is his Conscience defiled a man must hold the mystery of faith in a pure Conscience 1 Tim. 3.9 1 Tim. 1.19 holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning the Faith have made shipwrack for the mystery of faith must be kept in a pure Conscience for if your judgments be leavened with corrupt principles 1 Tim. 3.9 you will soon make shipwrack of the faith which signifies a dangerous and an irrecoverable loss of it And here I will speak to these three things First That there is a great deal of danger that mens Consciences may be defiled in their principles and they corrupted in judgment Secondly The greatness of this danger what an evil it is for a man to have his judgment defiled and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that Conscience corrupted Thirdly The means and rules how a man may be preserved from a polluted Conscience in this how a mans judgment may be kept undefiled and you had need to take heed for there is a great deal of danger that your judgment may be corrupted First Because there is a great deal of darkness in all Gospel-administrations in comparison of what we do expect the Lord shall give unto his people in the latter dayes when Ezekiel's Temple shall be built the Lord will shew his people all the forms and the patterns of his house and the goings in and the comings out thereof and in the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which refers unto the same time Rev. 11. last for then the mistery of God shall be finished the Temple shall be opened and we shall see into the Ark of the Testimony it had a vail before it that it might not be seen but the most hidden and secret things shall then be made manifest and clearly discovered and by the Ark some understand it of Christ of whom the Ark was a type there should be a further and a more glorious manifestation of him in all Church ordinances and administrations than ever there had been in times past But mean while there is a Sea of Glass but it is mixed with fire there is a great deal of affliction and bitter contention and the Temple is fill'd with smoak a great darkness upon all ordinances in so much that during all the time of the pouring out of the Vials no man that is no considerable and great company of men should be brought into the Church here and there a few converted but none in comparison of the fulness of Jews and Gentiles that shall be converted to God afterwards when the smoak of the Temple shall be dispel'd and done away and if there be so much darkness it is no wonder if men be in danger to be deceived and to be led away from the truth it is no wonder if men in the dark may eire and miss their way and therefore I would not have men as not too censorious of others so not too confifident of their own way in any thing that they have not a clear warrant for in the Word for surely this is the time of the Vials and it is spoken of the reformed Churches they that while the Vials were powering upon Antichrist did stand with the Lamb upon mount Sion that had gotten victory over the Beast and his Image and did sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb c. and yet amongst them the Temple was full of smoak and therefore there is danger that you may be deceived and deluded c. Secondly There be a great many false teachers gone abroad in the World 1 John 4.1 Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out c. It hath been the way that Satan has taken in all resormations as soon as ever the Gospel began to dawn in the World in the Apostles times there arose men of themselves that did speak perverse things Act. 20.30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such things as turn all upside down that subvert and overthrow all the principles and foundations of the doctrine of Christ that have been laid by himself and his Apostles Rev. 12. And when their was a reformation in the time of Constantine then another floud of heresy was cast out after the woman So in the reformation in Luthers time if the Lord do but sow good seed the enemy will come and sow tares and we see how much confidence Satan puts in this way of prevailing for it is his last remedy that he shall use to uphold the kingdom of Antichrist as we see Rev. 16.13 The Vial being powred out upon the seat of the Beast and Rome falling as a Millstone into the Sea without hope of recovery and now there is a new Church ariseing coming out of the Wilderness leaning upon her Beloved and Euphrates dryed up to make way for the Kings of the East Now he doth send out of the mouth of the â—east and the Dragon and salfe Prophet three unclean spirits like Frogs and they are the spirits of Devils working miracles and going forth into the Kings of the earth c. They are said to be spirits for their activity and impetiousness so some but I rather think they are called spirits that is false teachers because they pretend to speak by the spirit as 1 John 4.1 Believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God and they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not the ordinary word that is used for the Devil but a word doth express knowledg and learning c. They shall send forth there most learned men of the greatest parts and the best wits and they that shall teach spirits as Frogs they that shall teach unclean and corrupt
heed of some special sins that above others do most defile the Conscience though indeed all sins defile the Conscience but some sins are of a more bewitching and a more defiling nature then others as First Secret sins will provoke God to give thee up to the judgment of a defiled Conscience as he did Judas because he was a Devil Secondly Idolatry Take heed of hankering after that abomination either to worship an Idol a false god or the true God in a false manner and it is this last that you are most in danger of therefore let it not be said of any of you you know not what you worship but be able to say we know what we worship and how we worship God in spirit and truth and do not set up mans post by Gods post away with all traditious and inventions of men in the worship of God If you would keep Gods presence observe his order let all be done according to the pattern to the Law and to the Testament c. Else God may in just judgment send us strong delusions to believe lies which I fear is like to befall many of this nation who have not received the truth in ths love of it Thirdly Take heed of drunkenness and Whoredome Hos 14.12 Whoredome and Wine and new Wine Prov 2.19 take away thy heart none that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of Life c. Flee fornication and be not drunk with Wine there is a woe to the drunkards c. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge These sins besot men c. Lastly Be much in a secret judging of your selves and in a private examination Hag. 1.7 the Lord saith consider your ways and set your hearts upon them and turn in upon your actions and overlook them again bring them to the Light prove your selves and judge your selves and do it often there is a daily judicatory to be erected a cultus conscientiae which a man should be busied about every day Matt. 25.7 Then all those Virgins arose and trimmed their lamps the wise as well as the foolish c. Ego de terrenis negotiis simpliciter accipio Calv. Whilest men are in this World there is a daily defilement that will cleave unto them a squallor there will be something out of order that there must be a daily and a continual triming the wise as well as the foolish Virgins must be found in it and truely if a man neglects it but a while and keeps not a constant course in it a man shall find a strange averseness in his spirit thereunto all his life after for the way to sin's defilement is mainly by insensibleness a man is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and walks with God at a venture and truely if Satan brings a man to that once he hath prevailed very farr and will exceedingly defile the man We have spoken of keeping a good Conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards God let us now come to consider also what it is for a man to keep a good Conscience towards man for both these must go together he must keep a good Conscience in all things as was hinted formerly and be holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a dead fly spoils the whole Box of Oyntment and a good Conscience is like to the eye it hates motes and they disquiet it as well as beams It 's an errour in the common sort of men to think all Religion lyes in their just and upright carriage towards men as the Pharisees did and to such I say doth your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the cribes and Pharisees if not you shall never enter into the Kingdom of God c. Indeed there is a civil honesty a sweet and an ingenious carriage towards men that is very lovely and these are commonly called the worlds Saints and indeed they have nothing amongst them appears so pleasing Mar. 10.21 Christ loved the young man and yet peculiar Grace he had none for he was under the reigning power of covetousness and therefore there was something in him that was more general for which Christ loved him he had restraining grace and a sweet outward carriage that even the spirit of God had wrought in him habent filii concubinarum sua munera c. and yet Christ said to him for all these accomplishments one thing thou lackest c. and if thou walk never so uprightly before men that thou be esteemed the worlds Saint and thou couldest bring a testimony of thy good behaviour from all the ingenious men of thy age yet without an inward work of grace and regeneration and a heart inlivened by a spirit of faith so that all these works flow from union with Christ and from a principle of love wrought in thee to God truly all that thou dost is abominable to God in non renatis non solum peccata sed bona opera sunt mortalia for fides est caput bonorum operum and if that be wanting all of it is but nature improved and new dressed and so can never please God semen naturae non consurgit in fructum gratiae for a mans duties do proceed from the same principles that his sins do and there must be a renewing in the spirit of his mind before God accepts any service of him And there are some men do turn to the other extream and they say that all obedience is mainly towards God and therefore they are much in prayer and hearing and run from Ordinance to Ordinance and they do speak much also of keeping a good Conscience before God but yet they are negligent and loose in their carriages towards men they are as censorious and unjust and deceitfull busie-bodies in other mens matters proud boasters false accusers whisperers c. Yet these men would pass for Saints and think themselves in the highest form of professors Now this is a sure rule a pure Conscience though he cannot keep all the commandments of God yet he has a respect unto them all as Psal 119.6 with a care to walk answerable unto them and there is none that he doth wholly neglect as the word in the Hebrew signifies that man therefore whose profession for God is never so high and talkes never so much of having a good heart to Gods word and would be accounted in his religious duties even Angelical he prays much hears much fasts much c. Yet if he practise it not in his particular place in his relations in his shop in his dealings with a man I shall strongly suspect that man of hallowness and hypocrisie how ever he may tip his Tongue like a Saint yet he may boldly be reckoned amongst the sinners and such are spots in our feasts c. Now To stir you up to this Duty of keeping a good Conscience towards men let me exhort you to observe these particulars First Take special care of the souls that are committed to your
charge parents have the souls of their children committed to their charge and Ministers of their people and Magistrates and Masters in their places also and of the Talents that God has committed to your trust in this World next to your own Souls are the Souls of others the more any loves his wife and child and friend c. The more he will labour to bring them in love with grace and the ways of of God Prov. 4.3 He was beloved of his Father he taught me also c. Prov. 1.1 Tender and onely beloved of my Mother The words of King Lemuel the Prophesie that his Mother taught him and 1 Pet. 1.1.2 That if any obey not the Word they also may without the Word be won by the conversation of the wives c. The more the Wife loves the Husband the more she endeavours to win him c. It is possible the great cut unto Adams conscience was that by sin he not onely destroyed himself but his posterity Bern. non parentes sed peremptores a sad parting to hear a child say when he is lanching into eternity a cruel Father hast thou been to me in neglecting to instruct me for the salvation of my soul and for a Wife to say a bloody Husband hast thou been to me and a bloody Minister hast thou been to me for thou hast sold souls for gain Ezech. 13.10 Because they have seduced my people Rev. 18.13 saying peace and there was no peace and one built a Wall and loe others daubed it with untempered morter c. They made souls of men their Merchandise c. Indeed there be many men that gain by the loss of souls as Act. 19.24 When the Devil was cast out they were highly offended to hear souls should be saved because the hope of their gain was gone Secondly If you would keep a good Conscience towards all men do not bear sin for them either by not mourning for them or by not reproving them when they sin against God First By not mourning for them It was an excellent frame in the Psalmist my eyes gush out rivers of water because men keep not thy Law Secondly By not reproving them Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him c. It is sad to bear the sins of other men remember thou hast enough of thy own ab alienis meis libera me Domine Aust It may be thou shalt be counted morose and unsociable but malo famam boni viri perdere quam Conscientiam and which will be better at the last day when men shall say euge bone socie or Christ bone serve But men think they shall get ill will for their pains and there is little good like to come on it and so men shift off their Duty â—ut hear what Job says of himself Job 31.34 Did I fear a multitude 〈◊〉 did the contempt of families terifie me that I kept silence There is a sinful and cursed silence that all good hearts should be afraid of when the glory of God and the good of souls is in danger then is the season specially for all the upright of heart to rebuke for sin those that God has puâ— under their care and to mourne for what they cannot help Though we cannot be reprovers of all sinners yet we may be mourners for all sinners Thirdly Do not get an estate unjustly by falsisying of publick trust or else by secret defrauding or going beyond thy brother for the issue of it will be the rust of the silver you so get shall be a witness against you Joh. 5.3 and the cry of the oppressed enters into the ears of the Lord c. Woe to him that builds a town with blood Job 31.38 the Stones out of the Wall shall cry out against him and that hath the labour of the hireling without wages and makes a prey upon the necessities of men c. Naboths Vineyard stuck in Ahabs Conscience and Judas Thirty pieces also it being the price of blood it terrified him so that he chose strangling rather then bear the guilt of it he had lucrum in crumena but Gehennam in Conscientia Fourthly If you have wronged any one restore it for that unjust gain lyes upon thy Conscience and God will make thee vomit it up he will pluck it out of thy belly Conscience will never be at ease till then for as long as a man retains it he does justifie his sin and does every day commit it Nâ—h 5.11 therefore make haste and restore whatever thou hast got unjustly and by indirect means Zacheus restored it four-fold go you and do likewise Herod could not repent keep his Herodias non remittitur peocatum c. Mic. 6.10 And God takes it ill that men do not and what doth the Lord require of thee but to shew mercy c. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked I will punish all those that leap on the threshold which fill their masters houses with violence and deceit c. Zeph. 1.3 Fifthly Take heed of the neglect of doing good to others rich men have an oppertunity of doing good to others and look you do it for riches do not always last they are this worlds goods and take to themselves wings and fly from one place to another make therefore friends of the unrighteous Mammon c. And great men have an opportunity to lift up their hand for the fatherless and to restore the needy to their right and oh that it were more the aim of great men that are so ambitious of honour and high places in the world that they may be restorers of breaches and a help to the needy and helpless that justice and righteousness may take place then there would not so many have contempt poured upon them as now there is and God will still overturne overturne till there be no complaint in the midst of us and how bitter will the remembrance of them be that have had a hand to do good and yet wanted a heart as it was in Jehu's time he took no heed to walk in the way of God with all his heart so many a man may say time was when I might have reformed Religion had not my Policy given Laws to my Piety and my desire to set up my self hindred me from exalting God Phineas was zealous for God and a covenant of peace was made with him Nehemiah did reform profaness and the Lord remembred him in goodness c. Now when men will not use their authority for God but he is dishonoured and the souls of men are destroyed and the needy are sold for a pair of Shooes and their possessors slay them and think themselves not guilty and every man does what is good in his own sight and there is none to put them to shame the the Lord will remove the Diadem c. and cast down the mighty from their
seat and will exalt the humble and lowly Sixthly Keep a good Conscience towards enemies Job 3.129 30. it was a brave temper in Job If I rejoyced at the destruction of him that hated me or lift up my self when evil found him c. and our Saviour bids us Mat. 5.44 pray for them that despightfully use you and persecute you c. forgive them and be willing to do them good if thine enemy hunger feed him for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good if they be thy enemies without a cause or for telling them the truth they are more their own enemies then thine therefore pity them The accidental part or less principal part of the torments of Hell we have hear under the Metaphor of the never dying Worm And now I come unto the principal part and that which is essential to it and that is the fire that never can be quenched and here I must mind you of what Christ sayes Joh. 3.12 I have spoken to you Earthly things and you believe not Spiritual things under Earthly resemblances for our weak eyes need to have the species condensed by such spectacles as these are spiritualia capere non possumus nisi adumbrata c. How shall you believe if I tell you of Heavenly especially when the joys of Heaven and the pains of Hell are laid down in any measure before you this latter I am now to speak to the fire which cannot be quenched it 's a thing disputed amongst Divines and the fathers of old have differ'd in it and the Schoolmen after them whether the fire by which the damned in Hell shall be tormented be not Material and Corporeal fire but Metaphorical only some of them say that it is Corporeal and of the same nature with that fire we have here because it must torment the bodies of men and others say that it cannot be Corporeal for then it cannot work upon Spirits as the Devils and the Souls of men are and hence Durandus and others have found out a way that by the power of God he can elevate Corporeal agents in their operations so that they shall work upon Spiritual subâ—â—ances and as the Soul is affected here by its union with the body so it shall be hereafter c. But these things seem not at all to agree with the word of God nor the manner of the speaking of the Spirit of God therein who hath wholly expressed Heaven and Hell to us by Metaphors because in its proper Speech and if the Lord should speak of things as they are we could not understand them it 's questioned by some Divines by what names the estate and condition of the damned was expressed in the Old Testament and it is wholly resolved into certain Metaphors taken from some exemplary acts of vengeance upon sinners the first remarkable judgment that came upon the world was the Deluge now we read in Gen. 6. Of Giants that were in the Earth men of renown whose wickedness was so great upon the Earth that the Lord repented that he had made man and takes up a resolution in judgment to destroy them that he had created from the Earth and these being the first that did eminently and remarkably perish therefore Pro. 21.16 't is said The man that wanders out of the way of understarding shall remain in the Congregation of the dead the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the place receives its name from those wicked men who were in the eyes of all men remarkably the first inhabitants and this is conceived to be the first title that in Scripture is any where given to the place of the damned the next judgment was the destruction of Sodom God condemning them with an overthrow and turning it into a dead Sea a fiery and Sulphurious Lake where every thing dyes nor can any thing live in it and a smoak that continually ascends up and by that also in Scripture Hell is expressed the Lake that burns with fire and Brimstone for ever and it is Jude 7. suffering the vengeance of Eternal fire There is another expression of it that is very famous there was near Jerusalem a place that was called Tophet as Schal conceives from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tympano because of the several Musical Instruments that were used there when the Jews did sacrifice their children unto Molech and burnt them caused them to pass through the fire unto the Devil and to testifie that they did it from the heart though they were never so dear yet they must rejoyce in it and dance at the sacrifice it was the Valley of the sons of Himon this place was thus polluted by sin and with the blood of men poor inocent ones And this place of Idolatry Josiah did pollute and commanded all the dead bodies and all the unclean things of the City to be cast therein and for the consuming of those a continual fire was kept there and God did execute special vengeance in this place because in it the Lord destroyed 185000. of the Assyrian Camp and there the Jews were slain themselves when the Babylonish Army took the City and hence Isa 30. and last verse For Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared he has made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it this place that was so famous for judgment and vengeance is used to express the torments of Hell the place of the damned it is called Tophet and hence also I conceive the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath its name from Himon for the greatness of the misery it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grave and destruction Pro. 15.11 There is nothing done in Hell and in the bottomless pit but it is open to the Lord he knows and orders all in it and therefore is the Devil called Abadon the destroyer for the terror and unquietness thereof it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.4 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to trouble vex and disquiet a man and it s called for the uncomfortableness and continual fear of it darkness by which all misery is expressed in the Scripture and to set forth the perfection of it it is called utter darkness Mat. 8.12 but the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness c. That is extra Ecclesiam regnum Christi for the Kingdom of God is an inheritance in light Col. 1.12 so all the miseries of men without Christ are called darkness and a darkness that is without even there where all the wicked of the world shall be so Cartwright and some think that it is Comparativum Superlativi loco and it signifies maximas profundismas and so Pareus c. And for the eternity of it its called the deep Luke 8.31 and Rev.